Posted at 9:30 AM EST. Odds subject to change.

Pinnacle O126½ -105 BET365 O126½ -110 Sportsinteraction O127½ +105

L.A. Clippers Team Total over 127½

Best Odds: +105 at Sportsinteraction

3:30 PM EST. The L.A. Clippers finally had a hiccup after a heinous East Coast road trip where they went 6-1. That included two wins on back-to-back road spots and a statement 19-point victory over the Boston Celtics. In their first contest back at Crypto.com Arena (eye-roll to that name), they faced an amped up Pelicans squad who clearly cared more about beating their rival. We see this often; team A finally returns home after a tough road trip and in their first game back, after being reunited with family and friends and more day-to-day responsibilities, they stumble. We're not concerned.

Since December 1, no program has been better than the Clippers, starting with their offense. They're 26-6 since the aforementioned date, with the #1 rated offense and ranked #2 in true shooting percentage and effective field goal percentage, both granular factors that measure the true shooting efficiency of a roster. Even better, their bench has performed as well as any in the association. They're second in offensive efficiency and at home they're 4th in net rating. Much of that is because of their second-unit's leader, Russell Westbrook, who looks as comfortable and happy as he has in years. Meanwhile, superstar Kawhi Leonard has played MVP-level basketball for the last two months. His field goal shooting percentage is through the roof - 61.3% in December, 53.5% in January, and 58.7% in February, and he's playing with the same ice cold moxie that we saw when he led the Raptors to a title in 2019. With an incomparable depth of talent and a fully healthy roster, we're confident that the Clippers will be ready to pounce in their second game back in front of their fans.

And then there's the Pistons. Monty Williams' young squad has been looking better lately, at least on offense (ranked 14th since Jan 1), but that only supports our wager even more. They're coming off two straight wins, including an impressive 23-point comeback at Portland two nights ago, and they've only failed to cover in 2 of their last 13 games. Sounds good to us - that just makes Saturday a more pristine spot for a high-scoring game. Plus, while the Pistons' offense may be functioning at a higher level lately, their defense is not. Since Jan 1 they are ranked dead-last in defensive efficiency and only four other teams allow a greater opponent shooting percentage (49.5%) this season. And even worse for their prospects tonight, this is their 3rd straight road game in just four days. Expect next to no defensive effort from the visiting team.

If the Pistons cared about winning this season, which evidently they don't (only 8 Ws), maybe we'd hesitate. There are reasons to support Detroit tonight based on what they showed the last few weeks, at least from an ATS perspective, but this isn't an ordinary matchup for a young and underexperienced roster. The Clippers are playing like champions, and even good-to-great defenses have issues shutting down their exceptional scoring talent. In recent performances, they dropped 115 on Boston, 127 on Toronto, 127 on the Lakers, and 128 on the Thunder. In their first affair against the Pistons one week ago, they put up 135. Expect more of the same tonight. 

Farley

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------